Judge rules LA's top federal prosecutor has been unlawfully serving

A federal judge has ruled that Bill Essayli, the First Assistant U.S. Attorney, has been unlawfully serving as Los Angeles' top federal prosecutor, according to CBS News Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Times.

Senior U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright ordered that Essayli be disqualified from overseeing two criminal cases involving Jaime Hector Ramirez and Tu Anh Tran, but delayed the order's effect while considering a government request for a stay pending appeal, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.

Judge Seabright concluded that the Justice Department unlawfully delegated authority to Essayli, effectively placing him in the position of U.S. Attorney without proper appointment, according to CBS News Los Angeles.

The ruling follows similar decisions in other states where prosecutors appointed during the Trump administration were found to have been unlawfully elevated to acting U.S. attorney positions, with appeals now pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, CBS News Los Angeles noted.

Essayli's office expressed disagreement with the ruling and indicated the matter will be resolved by the Supreme Court, stating that the President and Attorney General have the right to select supervisors within the Justice Department, according to CBS News Los Angeles.

The legal dispute is part of a broader national issue over the Trump administration's appointments of federal prosecutors without Senate confirmation, with similar rulings in New Jersey and Virginia, the Los Angeles Times reported.